Preseason Rusher Rating: Hightower earned his spot

Washington running back Tim Hightower led all preseason rushers using CHFF’s Rusher Rating System. Hightower, who left the desert of Arizona for the Beltway, had a 6.8 yard per attempt average to propel his Redskins to a 3-1 record in the preseason.

However, it was not the Redskins, but the Philadelphia Eagles who led the exhibition in team Rusher Rating Differential. The Eagles and their league-leading 36.96 Rusher Differential also had a 3-1 preseason. The Baltimore Ravens (34.60 Rusher Differential) were a close second, propelled by the fourth ranked rusher Ray Rice. His 4.92 yards per carry and two touchdowns gave him a rating of 132.55 and his team a 3-1 record.

Here are the top 25 rushers of the preseason with a minimum of 20 attempts, based on Rusher Rating:

Player

Attempts

Yards

Yards per Attempt

TD

Fumbles

Rusher Rating

Tim Hightower (WAS)

25

170

6.80

2

0

142.87

Ben Tate (HOU)

20

147

7.35

1

0

137.00

Richard Medlin (NE)

20

66

3.30

2

1

134.77

Ray Rice (BAL)

25

123

4.92

2

0

132.55

Jamie Harper (TEN)

38

168

4.42

3

0

129.81

Ryan Mathews (SD)

24

187

7.79

2

1

128.40

BenJarvus Green-Ellis (NE)

23

79

3.44

4

0

124.40

Keith Toston (STL)

23

77

3.35

2

0

123.93

Isaac Redman (PIT)

22

117

5.32

1

0

121.86

Thomas Clayton (SEA)

37

131

3.54

2

0

119.65

Ronnie Brown (PHI)

21

88

4.19

1

0

117.57

Stevan Ridley (NE)

30

148

4.93

2

1

116.70

Matt Forte (CHI)

21

81

3.86

1

0

115.74

Danny Ware (NYG)

21

79

3.76

1

0

115.22

Anthony Dixon (SF)

40

129

3.23

2

0

114.36

Kendall Hunter (SF)

35

231

6.60

1

0

114.07

Joique Bell (NO)

31

182

5.87

1

0

113.31

Cedric Peerman (CIN)

22

75

3.41

1

0

111.38

Darren Evans (IND)

25

96

3.84

1

0

108.96

Armond Smith (CLE)

31

192

6.19

2

2

108.72

Cedric Benson (CIN)

29

119

4.10

1

0

105.56

Xavier Omon (SF)

30

121

4.03

1

0

104.17

Leon Washington (SEA)

27

92

3.41

1

0

103.98

Cadillac Williams (STL)

30

116

3.87

1

0

103.25

Kahlil Bell (CHI)

35

157

4.49

1

0

102.47

The average for all running backs with at least 20 rushes was 27.25 carries for 111.13 yards (4.08 yards per carry) and a rusher rating of 95.23.